Revelation
by Alveria
Summary: This is going to be a collection of short Kataang Oneshots I make as they come to me that are not apart of my running story Whispers Beneath The Stone. I'll update as they come to me and as I complete them (and if anyone has ideas they want, I'll write them if I like it). It is pure Kataang, maybe a little Sukka or Maiko within the stories but they will be mostly Kataang.
1. Revelation

_**A/N: First Story - Revelation**_

_**Description: A night at the beach after the Ember Island Players performance. This has been revised a little bit from when I first posted it. Kataang (Usual Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA obviously)**_

The moon was high in the sky with the gang's heads hung low as they left the theater. Their moral slightly dropped from the play as they walked back to the summer house

"That… wasn't a good play" Zuko stated, leading the group back

Aang just sighed and kept his eyes on the sand "I'll say"

Katara's eyes wandered between the sand and Aang, still slightly upset, all she could muster was to say "No kidding" before returning her gaze to the sand

Suki just muttered "Horrible" before Toph chimed in

"You said it"

Sokka rolled his eyes and threw up his hands a little in protest of their attitudes "But the effects were decent!" Suki just rolled her eyes at him before he muttered "You guys are such downers"

The gang made its way back to the beach house and Aang slowed his pace to where the other members of the group were slowly passing him. Once he was in the back, he made a turn towards the beach as the others went to the house; no one seemed to notice, being too caught up in their own thoughts.

As Aang neared the beach, he noticed the glistening full moon shimmering off the waves as they slowly lapsed against the sand. The beach was completely deserted, being so long after midnight; Aang just lost himself in his thoughts.

Thinking back to the intermission, the most horrible part of the play; when he and Katara had had their argument; he sighed. "Should never have kissed her…" he muttered before looking back at the moon.

Suddenly, Aang found himself overcome with emotions; betrayal, sadness, anger. He raised his hands up high and sliced downward, sending a sonicboom of air bending down the ocean. He brought his left hand back up in a swift motion and a scythe made of air attacked the water and skidded out to open sea; he repeated with his right hand. He grunted out of anger and began twisting his arms in a whirlwind movement. Nothing happened for a moment before a small twister started to form over out a few hundred feet on the waves.

The spiral of air was causing the ocean to spin with it. Aang was creating a makeshift twister and whirpool; without his Avatar State. He kept on spinning, his arms getting more and more rapid with their movements, the twister began to grow. Just before it was about to hit the beach, he screamed and sent it out to sea.

He stood there for a moment, shaking, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, the emotions subsiding slightly; he sighed and looked up to see someone standing in front of him

"Avatar… Roku" Aang muttered, still out of breathe.

"Yes, Aang, Tell me, what troubles your young spirit today; Is it that you are soon to face the Firelord?"

"No actually… it is the opposite" Aang sighed and stood straight up "What can you tell me of Love?"

"Ah, Love. You are referring the young waterbender are you not?" Roku stated

"Heh, is it that obvious?" Aang looked away, rubbing the back of his neck

"Well, we are the same. And yes, I know of the altercation between you two; and I am sorry" He stated and Aang just sighed, Roku continued "My first question is, why her, Aang? I know love works in mysterious ways; and as much as I hate to be the one to say this; what will happen to the Air Nomads if you are the last one?"

Anger flared in Aang's eyes but he subdued it "It is not my duty to bring them back. I miss them, but if we were destined to die off, then we die off. I will not ask Katara or anyone else to be used in such a manner"

"That is just it; with her being a waterbender, if you, say, did get married and had children; it would be less likely they would be Airbenders." Roku stated before adding "I know it is no one's duty to bring back an almost extinct race; but think of what will happen to the Avatar cycle"

"I never wanted to be Avatar in the first place! I will not go impregnate women I do not know nor love for that. I love Katara" Aang snapped back

"Sometimes… it is about more than what you want; we all have our duties that we must perform"

"Enough!" Aang yelled, which surprised the Spirit form of Roku "What if I told you do abandon Ta Minn, or for Kuruk to abandon Ummi? That is what you are telling me right now; so stop with this train of thought, I love Katara and until I know exactly how she feels, that is my stance."

Roku only sighed at Aang's outburst "You have a big battle coming up… get some rest, Avatar Aang" with that, Roku vanished, leaving Aang alone on the beach.

**Meanwhile with the rest of the group**.

When the group reached the house, Katara seemed to be the only one to notice Aang was gone

"Has anyone seen Aang?"

"Probably just staring out at the moon; the kid has a lot on his mind." Sokka stated and yawned "I'm going to bed" The rest of the group nodded and left inside the house, leaving Katara on the porch. She wasn't convinced; she retraced their steps and at a fork, noticed a small set of footprints broke off from the group. Headed down towards the beach, she followed them decisively, she knew what was really troubling Aang... for it was troubling her as well.

Just as she neared the beach, she nearly yelped as a loud boom came from up ahead. She ducked behind the trees and quietly made her way to the tree line to view the beach; her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped at what she saw. Aang was unleashing a furious assault at… nothing. She saw him pause and then gasped when he made his tornado. She was about to run to him before it engulfed him but he lurched it out to sea.

When she saw him break, she stood, only to quickly drop back down as Avatar Roku appeared before Aang. She strained to listen to their conversation; but it wasn't until Aang's first outburst that she could hear everything. Hear everything; had she heard him correctly? Love? He loved her? Her mind immediately went back to the intermission when he kissed her and she pulled away, she still felt his lips on hers.

"Oh my…" she whispered as Aang's comments profound. Her stomach knotted and her chest felt heavy; even a tear glistened from her Cerulean eyes. Roku had vanished, leaving Aang alone on the beach; she saw him start to mutter to himself and she strained to listen

"—Shouldn't be this hard—probably likes Zuko—shouldn't have kissed her—she hates me" she listened for more for what felt like hours. _He thinks I hate him… that I like Zuko_. She shuddered at the thought before she looked back up to see Aang walking away, further down the beach, kicking rocks as he went.

She mustered all the courage she could and ran to him

Aang was slowly walking down the beach before he heard foot thumps in the sand; he quickly turned around as dropped into an Airbending form before being slammed into. He felt arms snake around him and it was then he realized who it was.

"K-Katara?" he muttered, still unsure, his hands at his side

Tears began to form in her eyes as she buried her face in his shoulder "Aang" she whispered, still not releasing her grasp. His surprise was disappearing and his confidence was returning, his arms slowly snaked around her waist as he returned the hug.

"What're you doing out here" he asked before hearing her snicker

"I could ask you the same thing" she smiled and pulled away, looking straight into his grey eyes "Aang" she began before looking away

"What?" He muttered

"I don't hate you…" she whispered before looking at him again "And I am happy you kissed me"

His eyes shot up and looked right at her "Wha-? I thought—but you said—confused!?" Aang stammered and Katara just giggled

"I was surprised" she stated, putting one of her fingers against his lips to shush him "and confused… Did you mean it?" She asked, looking at him in a very serious way

His head cocked in confusion

"About loving me.." she clarified

Aang's cheeks turned bright red and he tried to turn away, but Katara's grasp was solid, she was so close to him; he felt like he was going to faint.

"Y-Yes" He stuttered and cleared his throat "I meant every word"

"So you don't care if your race dies with you?" she asked, almost instantly regretting it when she saw the look in his eyes

"Of course I care" he sighed "but I would not make it anyone's duty to bring them back. Especially you…" Aang looked down "Look… I love you." There, he said it and Katara's heart fluttered

When she didn't say anything, Aang began to worry so he quickly continued

"And I know you're confused" he said, looking back towards the house behind the tree line "I understand if there is someone else, or if you don't love me… I just, want to know where we stand… Are we, I mean do you" he coughed "Are we still friends…"

She sighed, looking away she simply shook her head "Aang; there is no one else. I don't like Zuko" she stated looking him dead in the eyes "I just… can't love you right now. It's selfish, really. If I admit it now and you die against Ozai… I don't know what I would do" she said, her voice started to shake.

Aang just looked at her, his hand slowly moved up her body to her hair and he began playing with it almost subconsciously. Katara blushed and Aang quickly stopped before nodding

"I won't lose.. Whether I have you as a friend or more is irrelevant, as long as I come back to you I know I'll win.."

She put a finger on his lips and smiled before removing her finger, and closing the gap between them. Their lips meeting, softly brushing against each other, she spoke against his lips

"Come back to me after you defeat the Firelord; then, we can be together" she whispered and just heard him slightly moan against the kiss. Their lips still together, she ran her tongue across his lower lip and he opened his mouth slightly, allowing her entry. She had taken it further than Aang had, their tongues dancing together and their lips sealed. She smiled against the kiss and broke away just enough to have her lips brush his and she whispered "I do love you, Aang."

"I love you too, Katara" Aang replied, still unwilling to release the embrace. Reluctantly they pulled away, not blushing nor feeling awkward; just smiling. They both looked at the moon and Katara said "Beautiful… come on Aang, let's get back to the house. Sozin's Comet is right around the corner" She took his hand and he followed, Smiling.

"And so is a defeated Firelord, I've got someone too amazing to come back too to allow him to win" he grinned and Katara blushed as they headed home, both feeling at peace.


	2. We Need To Talk

_**A/N: Second Story – We Need To Talk**_

_**Description: This one takes place when they first land at the Western Air Temple and Haru, Teo, and The Duke want to explore the temple, Aang is eager to join them but Katara has other plans. Done from Katara's POV and yes, it goes off-canon. **_

"This is a lot different from the Northern Air Temple" Teo muttered, gazing at the structures that were hanging from the Cliffside like stalactites. "I wonder if it has any secret rooms" he said quickly with a smirk as he glanced around. Haru was quick to jump at the idea

"Let's go check it out!" Haru said with a wave as he ran towards a staircase. The Duke and Teo quickly following… with Aang close behind.

Before Aang could get far I moved his staff in front of him, obstructing his path and looking back towards the others.

"You guys go… I think we need to talk about some things" I said to the group as I placed a hand on his shoulder, I could feel him tense up as he looked at me. The others were quick to continue on and Aang then spoke.

"Why can't I go?"

"We need to decide what we are going to do now… and since you're the avatar, maybe you should be a part of this" I muttered… that wasn't my entire reason but it wasn't a lie.

He quickly conceded and sat down as the four of us began discussing what to do next. Sokka had the brilliant idea about continuing to master firebending, without a teacher… Aang was quick to get defensive about Fire Bending; I think he still blames himself for what happened those months ago, even now.

As Sokka mused about a teacher, Aang was quick to suggest taking a break from the planning and quickly walked away… and I was quick to follow him. He rounded the corner of a hallway and I heard him plop to the ground, his staff fall to the floor. As I peeked around the corner, I saw him with his hands covering his face as he sat, curled, leaning against the wall… he looked both mad and sad, and he noticed me quickly.

"What is it" he said quietly "More talk about a fire bending master?" he muttered

"Actually, no, there was something else I wanted to ask you" I said quietly. "May I join you?"

He nodded, removing his hands from his face and dropping his knees so he sat almost lotus. I slide down against the wall next to him, my eyes gazing on the cracks in the walls… I wasn't as quick to speak as I had hoped, and he noticed my hesitation.

"Katara, what's wrong?" he muttered, his head slightly turned as he gazed at me. I felt his eyes on my and I risked a glance, he had lost his sad and mad look and it had been replaced with one of concern.

"Aang…" I muttered, tearing my eyes from him "Tell me what happened on the top of that boat…" I said softly. We both knew what happened, but just like our experience with The Cave of Two Lovers, it was being brushed under the rug and I didn't want that to happen, not this time.

I could tell my question startled him, for his throat cleared and his eyes quickly went to the opposite wall, I could tell they were tracing the cracks as he tried to find the right answer. Just as I was going to speak again, he sighed and swallowed hard.

"I kissed you." Aang whispered, his head dropping

"But… why?" I questioned "I want your reason…"

I could hear a shaky breath followed by another sigh as he nodded.

"You don't want to hear this; but I've always liked you… more than a sister. And I think somewhere it turned into Love" Aang said quietly and I'll admit, that was not at all what I had expected.

_Love?_ I had thought of Aang romantically in the past; after our visit to Aunt Wu's village, after The Cave of Two Lovers… but I hadn't thought of actual romance since Jet, since I dropped my guard and was walked on, when I almost had forsaken my brother and Aang for someone I had just met. I could feel the moisture in my eyes as I nodded and swallowed before speaking.

"W-why wouldn't I want to hear that… why haven't you said anything before…?" I stuttered to ask

"I tried to tell you before I went to see the Guru… but Sokka interrupted me and my confidence deflated… I guess, if I couldn't tell you, I wanted to show you. I was so afraid that it might be my last chance to show you, I risked it and I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable…" Aang muttered next to me. I could tell he thought I hated him for it.

It was the opposite; I didn't run from the kiss, I didn't fight it, I returned it… thinking back I still feel his lips on mine. I hadn't thought of it for most of the invasion, too much to do but with the loss, all we had to do was reflect and… I am happy he did.

"Aang…" I began but he stopped me

"No, it's okay… I know you don't-" I cut him off

"Aang, stop." I said quickly and his mouth snapped shut. "I am happy you did what you did… but you understand why we can't be together right now, right?" I muttered, my heart feeling heavy… I was this close to admitting my feelings for him.

His silence was the only answer I received.

"Aang, with the war… if I admitted everything now and then you…" my voice croaked "died…" I stammered before swallowing hard and continuing. "A part of me would die inside."

"Would you rather it that way? Whether I have you as a friend or…" he paused, his eyes shut "If I had you to come back to, I know I will win."

"How can you promise that?"

"Because what I feel for you is a stronger connection for me, than what I feel for the anything else." He muttered and my heart felt heavier and heavier… I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him…

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable…" he said quietly

"I brought it up… didn't I?" I whispered and I battled the throughts in my head.

Should I admit it, flat out, right now? Should I wait, I am sure he already has a clue I like hi—has a clue that I love him too, but does he know? Should I say it, let him hear it… there was so much that could go wrong… but so much that could go right. I knew there was never going to be another man in my life like him.

"Aang." I muttered, and when I didn't continue, he looked at me, his eyes looked red… as watery as mine. "Aang, I do-" I stammered, closing my eyes and swallowing. "I do love you" I finished weakly. "And I don't want to lose you."

I heard him let out a long held breath… or maybe it was my own, but I did hear him sigh.

"You would never lose me, Katara… unless you wanted that."

"And I never would… Aang, please, I do want to be with you… but…"

"but… you want to wait until the war is over?" Aang finished and I nodded… I could feel his heart drop.

That did it, that feeling. Without warning or voice, any sort of thought, I lunged at him, throwing my arms around his neck, tackling him to the ground so it ended up with me laying on top of him. He looked very confused and dazed, but I didn't care.

I quickly placed my lips against him and whatever surprised daze he was in was instantly replaced with alerted shock; though it didn't last long as I felt my kiss being returned. Closing my eyes I felt his mouth open slightly against my lips and I took the chance; my tongue slowly rolled in, meeting his tongue. I heard him let out a small moan that almost made me giggle in our kiss, but we were both too engrossed as our tongues danced and our lips stayed locked as they moved.

Eventually we ran out of air and broke apart, the dazed look returning to him and my own blush and flustered face must've looked like a mess.

"Wow…" he said softly "That was… way better than what I did" he muttered and I smiled

"Promise me you'll come back from fighting the fire lord alive." I said quietly, still laying on him.

"I promise." Came a quick response and I couldn't fight my smile

"Good… then, we can be… official. But until then, you will –always- have me, Aang, no matter what. I'll wait for that day…"

"And so will I" he said quietly "It'll be worth the wait" he finished, his arms tightening into an embrace as we stayed there for a moment.

One problem solved, for the better… now we just needed to find him a Fire Bending teacher…


	3. Emotion: Fear

**Obviously off-cannon – took me half an hour to write and it was a spur of the moment chapter.**

Emotion: Fear

_Where is she, she should have been back by now, something is wrong_. My mind raced as I paced the porch of the summer house; we had just returned from that stupid play where we had our stupid argument that was all my stupid fault. But where is she, she got home with us before saying she was going for a walk; that was a few hours ago, what if something happened? I've such a horrid feeling in my gut it is driving me insane.

"Aang" A voice said form behind me, I don't know if I acknowledged it immediately or not but I soon felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Sokka.

"Aang, snap out of it, man, you are starting to freak me out" Sokka exclaimed, using his arm to stop my pacing. I shot him a glance that made him remove his hand, and he instantly noticed a problem

"Hey, What's wrong?" He asked, now sounding genuinely worried as my pacing resumed

"She should have been back by now" I muttered, my eyes gazing out towards the beach line as I paced; it took Sokka a minute to understand what I was referring too

"What are you talking about… Oh, you mean Katara?" Sokka questioned, and I saw his own gaze drift towards the beach as well. "Hey, she is a master waterbender – she is probably just talking to Yue or something" Sokka reasoned and yes, he could be very well correct. I could be overreacting, I could be thinking to much into this but no; after what happened, what I did… no I need to know she is okay.

"Where's Toph?" I asked and Sokka just pointed behind himself towards the interior of the house, I pushed past him and walked inside to find Toph, Suki and Zuko sitting at a table; Zuko and Suki playing Pai Sho.

"Toph, I need your help" I stated, walking up to the table

"Yeah, I can tell, your heart is beating faster than an avalanche, what's up Twinkletoes?" Toph stated and Sokka answered

"He is worried about Katara, she has been gone for a few hours"

"And you want me to feel for her?" Toph asked

"Yes, I do" I said strongly and she sighed, that's when Zuko looked up

"You know she is a Master Waterbender, she had me scared"

"That's what I said but he is insisting" Sokka exclaimed behind me and I had to fight to roll my eyes. The normal happy carefree side of me was pushed aside and the serious one had taken hold – I would not sleep until this feeling inside my stomach was resolved.

"Please" I pleaded and Toph nodded, standing up and walking outside towards the porch I was pacing on. She stepped down and onto the dirt and dug her feet into the ground, I could tell she was straining… and I could tell from the look on her face she was going to tell me something I didn't want to hear.

"I can normally pick out Sugar Queens footsteps easily enough but I can't sense a thing; I can sense some people back in town but nothing in the direction she said she was going." Toph stated, slightly reluctantly as she was unsure of my reaction; my glider was in my hand before she had finished the sentence.

"I am going to take to the air and find her; I don't care if she wants to be alone right now, I have a horrible feeling and I need to make sure she is okay" I stated strongly and my tone of voice made everyone else… nod. "I would appreciate it if you could search on the ground, but if you want to go back to your Pai Sho I understand" I said sharply before launching myself.

I don't know why I said it so hostile, it wasn't their fault. Maybe it was because I was the only one who seemed to be worried about Katara – even her brother seemed passive. I didn't care about giving myself away, it was nighttime but still someone might see; but I didn't care. I didn't care if the Fire Lord himself was on the island looking for me, I had to at least see her to make sure she was okay.

I was gone for hours, dawn was about to break. I had scoured most of the island in its entirety, from the beaches to the lakes to the streams and ponds; anywhere with water I had looked on this island to no avail, the feeling in my stomach tightened.

What was the feeling? It was fear, but fear of what? Losing a friend, losing someone I love, losing someone that has become a part of who I am; Yes. I was being driven by the most powerful emotion of drive; the emotion of fear and it has taken hold.

My mind raced with all the possible conclusions as to what could have possibly happened, all negative. There was no Hope for the best, plan for the worst. This was Expect the worst, plan for the worst; and it was driving me insane.

I saw no movement on the ground besides the rest of the gaang, not even in the town. My mind was still racing and I had no clue was to do, I felt lost, I almost wanted to scream her name at the top of my lungs.

Eventually I landed back at the summer house, The slightest specks of light could be seen in the far off horizon. The rest of the gaang was already back, I almost wanted to scream at them as they slept in the main room, all but Sokka was asleep, he seemingly waited up for me.

"Aang, Come here" He muttered quietly, motioning with his finger to follow him to the center of the summer house, where me and Zuko had practiced Fire Bending. My patience was short and he was moving slow, but I bite my tongue and followed until he stopped

"Why are we here, did you find anything?"

"Explain this feeling you have in your stomach" Sokka stated and I groaned in annoyance

"I have a twisted knot in my stomach that something is wrong. I don't know what, or why, but I know Katara is the only one not here and I need to find her." I said firmly

"There is something you are not telling me, Aang" Sokka eyed me

"Look, I made a mistake. I was so upset during intermission, so annoyed at the actors and the play I was taking it out on her. I kissed her and she ran; that was the last time I spoke to her… I need to know she is okay" I explained and to my surprise, Sokka only nodded

"So, you have strong feelings for her?"

"How do you feel about Suki" I asked and that seemed to make him stumble on whatever plan he had; his throat hitched. "How does Zuko feel about Mai. How did your father feel for your mother?" I asked again, I could see the look in his eyes, they were conflicted. "That is how I feel about her and that is why I need to find her." I finished, and there was silence for a moment while he gathered his thoughts.

"And what if she didn't feel the same way?" Sokka asked, his voice trailing off, my temper flared for a moment…

"She has already made it clear she doesn't. I don't care about that, I love and respect her enough to acknowledge her choice; but you are missing MY POINT!" I exclaimed "She hasn't been seen since midnight, and I need to make sure nothing has happened." Sokka hung his head, but it quickly shot back up

"Aang?" I heard a soft, feminine voice from behind me. My head whiplashed around and there she was, fine, as she should be; apparently my fears were unfounded. She was close enough and without thinking I wrapped my arms around her in a hug, in which she returned. I quickly pulled back and stepped back a few paces

"Sorry" I muttered before looking at her again "I'm happy you're okay"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she questioned quietly

"I… just had a bad feeling." I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck

"Bad enough to… make you not sleep all night and search the island just to make sure I was okay?" She asked quietly, her eyes shifting "Even after what happened…"

"Look, you made yourself clear, I understand. I care and needed to know you were safe. Now that I do… I'll leave if you want me too"

"Aang! No" she exclaimed, holding out a hand as if I had started walking, her eyes looked conflicted as well. I glanced around and noticed Sokka had snuck off.

"It's just… I-well" she stuttered, pulling on her hair as she tried to come up with the words, my fear changed to panic and uncertainty

"Aang" She took a deep breath, calming herself before she looked at me. "I do not think of you as a brother, I do think of you as more. I'm not so much confused on the war as I am my own feelings, I am sorry I didn't explain it better"

"And I'm sorry I… kissed you like that" I muttered

"I'm not." She said quietly and my eyes trailed up to look at her again but before I could find her eyes I felt her press her lips against mine. It was strong and driven by passion, but she quickly pulled back, her face flushed

"W-whoa… that's what it feels like to be on the receiving end" I muttered and heard her stifle a laugh

"Aang… I want you to make me a promise"

"Anything"

"Come back from Ozai alive" she said firmly and I nodded

"Plan too" I said strongly and she nodded

"If you can… if you wait for me, I'll wait for you" she stammered and I smiled

"I'd wait forever" I whispered, I wanted to kiss her one last time and apparently she felt the same as she flung her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine again; this was quick but her forehead rested against mine and she smiled, looking me in the eyes

"Good"

So, my fear was unfounded but through it I had another revelation and it was most welcomed. Along with fighting for the world I was now also fighting for something more important to me, something I knew was waiting for me… someone I knew was waiting for me


	4. Get Out Alive

_**A/N: This short oneshot was inspired by Three Day's Grace – Get Out Alive. No it doesn't have a bad ending, but it is where the concept came from and parts of the song will be used in the story. I'll write a part two when I get back from my field training next week.**_

Get Out Alive (Part 1)

"Aang!" Katara yells echoed through the cavern of falling rocks and scorching earth.

The mountain was erupting; the once dormant volcano within the Earth Kingdom's territories had been revived by the Fire Nation Soldiers as a means to force a victory over the Earth Kings. Deep within the cavern of the volcano, the Avatar and his friends had descended in hopes of stopping it… what they found was much worse.

-2 hours earlier-

"Don't worry, Chief Oiaki" Aang said with a warm smile "Whatever the fire nation is up to within the mountain, I will find out and stop it"

"Oh, thank you Avatar! My town, my people and this world is blessed by your kindness" The Chief of the village said. This was to be the first village destroyed by the soon erupting volcano. From its ashes would rise an earth made fire nation weapon, it would end the war before the comet even arrived if it hit Ba Sing Se.

With Omashu lost and many of the Earth Kingdom villages under control; the Northern Water Tribe remained the only other unconquered area besides Ba Sing Se… and it looks like Ba Sing Se's time was running out.

The group left the chief to go and tend to his villages affairs and ensure that… should they fail, the villagers might make it out alive. Aang stopped at Appa's horn and gave it a gentle stroke before he felt a hand on his shoulder. As he glanced up, Katara was standing there with concern and fear dotted in her face, her tear ducks swelled and she had her lower lip bitten.

"Aang…" She murmured

"It's okay, Katara. I need to do this. I want you and Sokka and Toph to remain here and help them escape" Aang said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes instantly shot up with a slight mixture of anger swirling within them.

"No! I am going with you, Aang"

"Katara… I am going into the cavern of a dormant volcano… there will be no water… I don't want to see you hurt" Aang pleaded but Katara was determined, her piercing gaze never left his and his eyes slowly lowered as he nodded. He didn't say a word before she threw her arms around him in a rather warm embrace.

With everything that had happened recently, the two had an unspoken connection. It was enough to empower them to do amazing things, no matter the risks.

Aang and Katara boarded Appa only to have Sokka and Toph jump on seconds later, Aang instantly shot them a glance only to be waved off by Sokka.

"Cool it, Arrowhead. The Chief said to go with you, the evacuation is going smoothly." Sokka explained and Aang nodded before calling to Appa to take off. Momo had been forced to remain with the chief's daughter, so now, the five flew off towards the now smoldering volcano only a mile away from the city.

It was nearing dusk when they arrived at the cave the chief described, it was nothing special, it looked like nothing more than a small hitch in the rock formation.

"This is it" Toph confirmed when her feet hit the ground, she stance changed as she dropped her shoulders. "Uh, guys, I feel a lot of movement down there, and not just lava… I can't tell"

"That's why we're here" Aang exclaimed, spinning his glider in his hand and inching into the caves mouth; Katara closely behind.

The way down was not very long, maybe thirty minutes before the heat started becoming more and more unbearable. Everyone had their clothing drenched in sweat and their movements were slowed; their vision and reflexes began to diminish until finally they caught a breath of fresh air, however brief. There reached a wide, open cavern, filled with smoldering lava and rocks aflame, but worse than all of that, hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers; firebending.

The walls were lined red, and hot to the touch. Toph had earth bended herself a shield to protect her feet from the smoldering floor.

"What'll we do now?" Sokka questioned

"You're the idea guy" Katara snapped back

"Yeah well, I'm at a blank" Sokka muttered "How about we just attack them, and try to bring the cavern down on this place to stop the lava flow?"

"And that is why you are the idea guy" Aang answered with a grin "Toph, can you handle dropping the cavern after I draw their attention?"

"Not a problem, Twinkletoes" Toph answered and Aang stepped out only for his wrist to be grabbed by a hand. He turned and saw Katara's eyes; there was no questioning the concern or fear within them.

"Aang, there are over hundreds of soldiers… you could… I don't like this plan"

"I'll be fine." Aang said, still wearing his goofy smile until it suddenly vanished. He leaned into Katara and she felt his lips brush against her ear as he whispered "I've got you to come back too." And just as quickly as he said that, he launched himself away, quickly launching an enormous air blast with his staff, knocking down a dozen soldiers.

All the soldiers glanced up and pointed out the Avatar hanging in the air. "It's the Avatar, Just like Princess Azula said, Shoot him down! Knock him into the lava!" A Soldier shouted and no sooner had he finished the sentence was the air in the room almost lit in flames as hundreds of Fire Benders redirected their bending from their tasks to Aang.

Aang was graceful in the air as well as on land and was able to dodge and deflect the majority of the first volley. Katara watched on in horror as the flames rushed past him, she saw the smoldering marks on his robes as each new blast got closer and closer to a direct hit.

"That's my queue" Toph muttered before dropping into the earth, leaving Katara and Sokka alone to watch the chaos Aang had caused…

To their horror, Aang had missed just a little on one of his deflections as a smaller fire ball blasted him in the side and almost sent him straight down into the pool of lava. However, quick to recover, he opened his glider and pulled up a few feet above the river, directing his path over the solid rock formations on either side of the river.

Then, a second Fire ball made contact; Katara and Sokka were too far away at this point to intervene as they watched in horror as all the soldiers moved to surround the Avatar. He had been knocked from his flight path and lurched directly into the hot ground, even from the distance; Katara could see the black marks forming on his robes.

"Sokka! We've got to help!" She pleaded

"How, How can we!?" He questioned quickly, just as eager to help when a large explosion was heard. Part of the river of Lava had been redirected and was now moving towards them. They glanced at each other and dashed into the cavern, staying on the side as to avoid the many soldiers and trying to get to Aang in to process when another explosion rocked them.

They glanced up and their eyes widened as a large smoldering rock had unlatched from the ceiling and was now coming down on them, rubble and all. It was quick, but they felt a gust of hot air rush over them as the rocks landed inside the pool of lava, almost instantly vanishing.

Aang landed next to the duo and immediately assembled a wall of earth, immediately following an onslaught of fire.

"Quickly, get out of here!" Aang yelled over the explosions

"The way out is blocked by lava!" Sokka yelled and at that moment, Toph reappeared next to them from under the hot rocks.

"Toph! Get them out of here, I'll handle the cavern!" Aang yelled and Toph shook her head. "Don't Argue With Me, Just GO!" Aang yelled as the explosions from the onslaught of fire increased. Katara looked at his expression; it wasn't anger it was… fear.

"Follow me guys!" Toph said loudly, turning around to the wall and dropping into a square stance as she pushed forward with speed, a doorway being pushed back to grant them escape. The rocks were all brown and black like normal rocks but the heat slowly began to convert them as Toph ran in.

"I won't leave you Aang!" Katara yelled, Aang looked to her and his expression softened as his hand gently touched her cheek.

"I'm sorry there's no time for goodbyes…" He said in a sullen voice before looking to Sokka "Make her leave and get out alive."

"Aang.. I" Sokka began before stopping himself and nodding, he gripped his sisters wrist and dragged her through the doorway

"No!" She growled trying to fight as Aang's figure began to fade due to the intensity of the heat and her vision.

Then, his barricade he had made exploded under the sheer force of fire bending being thrown at it. Some of them had redirected to fire at the ceiling, causing a large explosion that led to many rocks beginning to fall, they were smoldering and as Aang looked up to defend himself a large fire blast struck him in the arm.

"Aang!" Katara's yells echoed through the door Toph was creating, then it seemed as though time had stopped.

A blue glow appeared form the cavern and Aang's figure had stood up. An explosion caused a collapse in the tunnel's entrance and now they had only one direction, forward.

Aang however, now was supported by his fellow avatars as he was encased in a sphere of air and fire. The Fire Benders wasted no time and launched another volley at the Avatar, each of their blasts of fire being snuffed out when it hit the sphere of air. Aang's eyes opened with the ominous blue glow and curled into the fetal position for a split second before exploding out; sending the sphere of air that had encased him in all directions.

The unstable roof of the cavern was now caving in and filling into the pool of lava, more so than the lava was able to melt before it was eventually being drowned by rocks. The soldiers that were capable of escaping were running as they saw the explosions of power emanate from the Avatar along with the collapsing roof of the cavern. Not many, if any made it as the roof finally completely collapsed, burying the cavern completely.

Katara, Sokka and Toph had made it out of the volcano in spite of the explosions and rumbling they heard from below, no sooner had they made it to daylight did Katara fall to her knees, her hands on her face. Sokka placed his hand on her shoulder to try to consul her but even he was at a loss for words.

He had become more aware of what Aang and Katara were to each other; the passing glances and looks, the way they moved when they were around each other or not… but only now did he see how much the young airbender had truly impacted his sisters life. He shook his head and closed his eyes, letting a long breathe go until small pebbles began to run down the mountain.

He glanced up and a faint rumbling sound was heard, the falling of pebbles increased until an explosion of rocks erupted from the side of the mountain, a few dozen feet away from them. Katara glanced up from her water'd eyes to see a figure appear out of the eruption of rocks and land, hard, on the ground.

None of the three wasted any time as they dashed to the figure, as they got closer, they could see it was Aang. Katara ran up to him and fell on her knees at his side, afraid to touch him. His once orange and yellow robes were smoldered, black patches dotted his clothing and in some areas, pure skin showed… burnt skin.

Aang weakly turned his head and looked up at Katara, giving a fleeting smile. "I'd like something to eat" He muttered, trying to move his right arm to get up, Katara just shook her head and laughed with relief. She took her water skin and healed the large burnt skin she saw quickly as Sokka stepped up next to him.

"Come on, Arrowhead" He muttered, picking him up with his staff. Katara could see more burn marks on his chest and she shook her head.

"I'll give you a proper healing session after you get some food and rest…" She whispered, her hand intertwined with his. He offered a weak smile before closing his eyes, falling asleep for the remainder of the journey back to the village.


	5. Get Out Alive pt 2

_**A/N: This is short compared to all of my stories but it is just a conclusion to part 1 and no, I don't really know when exactly this is taking place in comparison to the story arc, probably after the Day of Black Sun but before the Western Air Temple.**_

Get Out Alive Part 2

"I'm sorry there wasn't time" he said softly walking up behind her. She didn't offer a response, she didn't turn her head or even acknowledge him being there. "Katara, are you okay?" He asked, his voice trailing off as her silhouette moved from him, eventually fading away into blackness.

He quickly turned around in all directions; where his room was once with Katara sitting at the foot of his bed was a pitch black nightmare with no sound but his own. He quickly lashed back towards the direction she faded off too and ran; he couldn't even tell if he was moving.

He heard the padded sounds of his feet smacking a seemingly solid surface; he heard the sound of his breathe as he panted trying to maintain his pace. It was difficult to breathe, impossible to see.

"You Burned My Sister!" an angry voice echoed as he whiplashed his head to the right. He saw Katara's silhouette looking at him in horror as she retreated from him, her fading silhouette suddenly engulfed in flames.

He sat up.

Sweat pouring down the sides of his face as he quickly looked around the room. His face and shoulders relaxed and his eyes became half-lidded when he saw where he was. He was in the room Chief Oiaki had given him, he was alone. He leaned to one side and grunted, almost immediately falling back onto his back; his grunt apparently causing alarm as his door flew open. The face of a concerned Katara was there to greet him, he felt slightly more at ease.

"Aang! Stay still" She exclaimed, rushing to his side and falling on her knees. Immediately uncapping her water skin. "Roll over, slowly" She ordered and he complied.

She hadn't had the chance to heal him since returning to the village, his back was tapered with burns and bruises, cuts and dried blood. The fire benders beneath that mountain hurt him more than he'd ever let on.

She slowly ran her water gloved hands up and down his back; the soothing cool of the chi amplified water relaxing both his muscles and his mind. His eyes glazed over as they stayed in silence, Katara absorbed in healing her friend while Aang had slipped into a land of dreams.

This was a different dream, not of darkness and shadows; it was full of light, it was a paradise. A courtyard on an island, the insignia's resembled Air Nomadic but it was not one of the four temples. The courtyard was lined with green grass encircling a large stone water fountain; trees lined the outer way of the courtyard with a few scattered within. The sunlight dancing through the branches and leafs and landing on a dark haired figured.

He could tell she was in her early twenties, her hair and body reminded him of Katara only older. The figured turned to face him and his eyes widened in shock… it was Katara, looking more beautiful than ever. Just as he was about to speak to her, a figure walked through his eyesight from behind him; all he saw was a taller figure that embraced her.

He looked away, only to be instantly drawn back to the pair as he heard them speak.

"I love you" the man said, he sounded in his very early twenties, but he also spoke with authority laced with… humor?

"And I love you" Katara responded, a very warm smile plastered on her face as they tightened their embrace. "Aang."

His jaw dropped as his eyes were instantly torn from Katara to the man; he still couldn't make out anything, it was just a silhouette, but he had heard his name.

"I love you, Katara" Aang whispered, knowing full well that his dream nor Katara, who was healing him, would hear him. He didn't care, he got to hear himself say it and that was the first step to saying it to her.

Meanwhile, as Katara felt his muscles relax under her touch and his breathing slow. She heard the strangest thing after a few minutes. _Did he just say… he loves me…?_

No one answered her silent question as his scars and burns were almost faded away. She paused and resealed her water skin, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder causing him to jump at the touch, she couldn't help but giggle as he rolled over and sat up.

"Good as new" He said with a smile, looking at her "Thank you"

"Aang, thank you… but don't ever do that again… please" Katara murmured, her eyes falling from his to the ground.

"Do what?" Aang questioned

"Ask me to leave you like that… especially after…" her voice choked

"I'm sorry…" Aang whispered and they sat in silence for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say to the other until Katara finally formulated the courage she needed.

"What did you mean… when you said you have me to come back too?" Katara questioned, her eyes shifting upwards to look at his face. The second she finished her sentence, his eyes locked with hers with a look of panic on his face.

"I-Um.." he paused and sighed, looking down, defeated. This was much easier in his dreams.

"I heard you talking while I healed you…" She said quietly, her eyes now looking at her fingers as they fidgeted.

"Katara…" Aang said with seemingly new found courage

"Yes?" she answered, her eyes looking hopeful. They both knew what they wanted him to say, they both knew…

"I-I love you" He said, his eyes finding hers and this time, she looked full of panic… not the scared panic more the… overwhelmed panic.

"Really?" She whispered, the tiniest of smiles on her lips as she looked at him, he couldn't mistake the look in her eyes; of longing and… pleading.

"Really. I love you" He restated softly.

A small laugh escaped her throat as she smiled "I love you too" she answered. Each of them involuntarily leaning closer until finally their lips made the gentlest of contact. She could feel the tenderness as his lips brushed hers; this kind of kiss wasn't fakable… and just as their eyes began to close, his door opened.

A gasp followed by a clearing of the throat tore them apart as they looked to the door, finding Sokka.

"You know" he began "Normally I'd be pretty pissed off about walking into a room and finding my little sister kissing a guy." He started, walking into the room and standing at the foot of the bed. "But I can let this one go, how ya feeling, arrowhead?"

Aang let a small sigh followed by a chuckle escape his lips as he shrugged "A lot better now than before… can barely tell I tackled a couple hundred fire benders…"

"Which is one for the scoreboards Twinkletoes!" Toph exclaimed walking in and standing next to Katara, quickly punching her in the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"For taking so long. Sokka may have been oblivious but I've know you two were diggin' each other since I joined on with you guys." Toph exclaimed as Sokka shot her a sideways glance.

"Yeah, anyways" Sokka muttered "We need to get moving to a safer location, especially with all the kids."

"Let's keep pushing west, the western air temple is very safe and hard to find for outsiders" Aang said and Sokka nodded

"We're pushing off tomorrow." He said before leaving the room, Toph shrugged and followed leaving the two of them alone again.

"Aang…"

"It's okay. We can talk more later… just one thing…"

"Anything?"

"Can I have a hug?" Aang pleaded and she gave him a warm smile before embracing him, and he did her. He was suddenly reminded of his daydream he had while Katara was healing him… there were things to look forward too


	6. Reversal

_**A/N: WARNING: This is an ANTI-Zutara Fanfic at request of one of my loyal readers. If you even like Zutara, don't read it, I drag on it HARD in this one. This is NOT Canon-Compliant obviously.**_

_**Otherwise, this is a normal fic of mine starting around my favorite start times; The Western Air Temple the night Zuko joins the group.**_

Reversal

**Katara's POV**

The invasion was a failure; we had made it to the Fire Nation Capitol, to the palace city itself only to find a shell. Someone had warned Ozai about our attack and despite Aang's best efforts we could do nothing when the Black Sun vanished from the Sky. We were forced to retreat and we lost many people… including my father, along the way.

Thanks to Appa, we managed to escape the Fire Nation Capitol with all of the younger members of the invasion and Aang has set course for The Western Air Temple. It is one of the few places very difficult for those to find unless they know it is there… hopefully they don't follow us.

Now, despite everything that has happened, something even worse has happened… We let Zuko joined our group. Zuko; the one who betrayed the first one to trust him back in Ba Sing Se. Aang may have forgiven him for his transgressions but I will never trust him again.

I stare at him in the doorway as he settles down in his room, his head swiftly turns to the left at the sudden realization of my presence and even now I can tell he was surprised to see me.

"You might have everyone else here buying your… transformation" I muttered, glancing up at him and narrowing my eyes. "But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past; so let me tell you something right now" I growled as I walked up to him not but a few inches away from him. "You take one step backwards, one slip up" I began, shaking my head "One reason to think you might hurt Aang and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore… Because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there… Permanently." I snarled, and I could not mistake the quiver of fear I noticed in his eyes.

I even confused myself, I am never so vile but… no, I am not confused, I knew what I was saying and meant every word of it. I marched out of his room and slammed the door behind me; I didn't know where I was going… I didn't care.

I wasn't going to my room, I needed air and despite being at an Air Temple, I found myself feeling congested and aggravated. Still marching with the same fury I had when I was speaking… threatening Zuko, I ended up marching through some of the courtyards.

I remember back in Ba Sing Se, when he talked about his mother and all of his mistakes, when he mentioned his Uncle. I remember feeling pity for the teenager that had been hounding us for months, been trying to kill us and capture Aang for torment and torture, for some sick prize to hand to his father. I remember the confusion in his eyes when he was thrown down there by his sister… I remember offering to use the Spirit Oasis water to try to heal his scar…

An act that… if I had done, would have caused the permanent end of the Avatar and the death of Aang for what, healing a scar that had been earned over his years of acts of aggression towards those weaker than him? That would have been the death of me if I couldn't have saved Aang's life that day because of him. We got so close then, in those few minutes until Aang appeared and made me forget and smile and be happy again…

That's what I needed. I slowed my pace in search of Aang. I glanced over near the edge of the courtyard and up, night had fallen and the stars littered the skies dancing around the moon, around Yue. Knowing Aang he wouldn't be in his room, he'd be meditating or practicing… feeding Appa or just wandering around, looking for trouble so we could all sleep.

After a clear hour of wandering the vast amount of courtyards this place had, I was left empty handed and back in the Courtyard I had started in. I moved to the edge and slumped to the ground, dangling my feel off the side as I glanced up and stared at the moon. My heart feeling at ease from the radiance from the moon.

"Yue, I need your help" I whispered and closed my eyes, biting my lip as I let my thoughts wander to things I had forbidden it from for so long.

To my mother; I needed her advice and her love. To my father; I needed to know he was okay and safe, I needed him free. To Aang… and what he gave me before he flew off to face the Fire Lord alone, and what he gave me those months before when we were traveling back to Omashu…

_A break twig from behind me snapped me back to reality_

I quickly stood up and dropped into a Waterbending stance, ready to use all the water in the courtyard to defend myself only to find Zuko staring blankly back at me, his hands up in defeat. I dropped my stance but kept my eyes narrowed at him.

"What do you want" I jabbed, my viciousness taking him off guard considerably as he moved in an arc to stand near the edge, next to me, about four feet away.

"Um… Beautiful night. Katara, I'm sorry about what I did in Ba Sing Se, I did it for a lie" Zuko began and I crossed my arms. "I just mean that… I understand why you hate me right now… I just hope someday we can move past that"

"That someday is a long ways off" I answered. "I do not trust you, Zuko. You betrayed my trust, directly caused the fall of Ba Sing Se and almost the death of Aang."

"I know and… I'm sorry. I can't change any of that, all I can do is help you guys out now."

"You better start helping then, cause trust is something earned and once it is lost, it is a lot harder to earn the second time around." I reasoned, turning away

"W-wait. I need to admit something to you." Zuko said quickly, reaching his hand out in effort to stop me despite me being four feet away. I paused and turned my head towards him.

"I, um, back in the catacombs, that was one of the only times I opened up to anyone and I screwed it up. But… even while I was in the Fire Nation, redeemed as a prince and all that… I still thought of that a lot." Zuko said, his voice trailing off near the end. I'll admit, my interest was piqued.

"Explain?" I asked, turning to face him and crossing my arms.

"What I mean to say is… I've, um, thought about you. You're beautiful Katara." Zuko muttered and my eyes widened.

Was I really hearing this, is he trying to make up for his transgressions by coming on to me after our failure at the Invasion? He is trying to subvert Aang who is now his 'buddy' and take me?

"You're silence is deafening… I'll be honest… I like you and want to move beyond what I've done…" Zuko continued and something inside me snapped.

"Well I don't like you, not a bit. Never have, just because I pitied you in Ba Sing Se doesn't mean I forgave you. I can't believe you join our group and the same night Aang agrees to take you on as his Fire Bending teacher you try coming on to me." I said quickly before taking a step towards him and raising my finger.

"The only reason I am not WITH Aang right now is BECAUSE of the war. I know who I love and you don't leave the person you love for someone who likes you, at least I don't. I cannot BELIEVE YOU" I exclaimed

"Katara, Zuko? Everything alright?" Aang asked as he walked in from one of the hallways

"Oh, Um, Aang, when did you get here?" Zuko asked quickly and he shrugged

"I was just wandering the Temple, heard her voice from down the hall… everything alright?" He asked, looking to me with those grey eyes and caring face… I snapped again.

I ignored Zuko, I ignored where I was and who I was around and closed the gap between Aang and I. Before he knew what to do, my hands had cupped his cheeks and our lips were locked. He was surprised, but never resisted and after a few seconds he began moving his lips with mine slowly, tenderly. I'll admit, despite my rage at Zuko… I almost melted in Aang's arms, almost lost myself to the kiss until I was resituated to where I was.

I slowly broke our kiss and gazed into his eyes, there wasn't fear or surprise, anger or annoyance in them… his grey eyes swirled with happiness as his lips curved into a soft smile. I glanced back at Zuko who was now holding his left elbow with his right hand, staring at the ground with a defeated look on his face.

"What was that for?" Aang whispered

"Showing you what you showed me before the Invasion, and this time neither of us can fly away" I answered softly

"I'm going to sleep… Aang, I'll start teaching you in the morning…" Zuko muttered

"Alright, Goodnight Zuko!" Aang said cheerfully, completely oblivious to my and Zuko's conversation and I was okay with that.

As Zuko left the Courtyard, Aang's eyes locked with mine again and my arms snaked around his neck as he held my waist. We didn't say anything as we swayed under the moonlight, Yue seemingly coxing us as our lips moved closer together, eventually connecting once more. It was much slower and softer than the one I had given to prove a point… for this one, no points needed to be proven, this one was just the moment.


End file.
